"It's almost like a conversation between the China National Traditional Orchestra and Western musical instruments," he says.
Tan says he hopes to inspire people's imaginations with classical music. He will also present his compositions Passacaglia: Secret of Wind and Birds and Internet Symphony Eroica at the NCPA on Friday.
Passacaglia premiered in 2015. It takes inspiration from the ancient and the modern, the East and the West, and from nature and man-made objects. Tan has incorporated the chirping of birds produced by phones.
"The symphony orchestra is expanding with the inclusion of new instruments. I thought the cellphone ... might be a wonderful new instrument that reflects our lives today," Tan says.
The Internet Symphony Eroica features videos of some 3,000 musicians from more than 70 countries. Tan did the rehearsal with musicians online across the world. The project was presented at Carnegie Hall in 2009.
"The internet is an invisible Silk Road, joining different cultures around the world," says Tan.
If you go
7:30 pm, Friday. NCPA, 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.
